Your Hurricane Creekkeeper

 New Tools for Monitoring Sewage and Hurricane Creek

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For decades, Friends of Hurricane Creek (FoHC) have been trying to keep the public informed about the many sewer overflows and "upsets" that impact our watershed. Not only is it unsightly but swimming, recreating or eating fish from e-coli contaminated water can create some nasty infections. Many people have lost limbs to such infections and some even die from complications. That's why when there is an overflow people downstream have an absolute right to know when the creek is contaminated and just as importantly, when it's not. There was a very good article written back in 2004 which outlines some of the many complications associated with exposure to raw sewage called "Swimming in Sewage".

Check it out for more information.

One of the problems with the Tuscaloosa Sewage collection system is age. Many of the lines are old and degraded and many of the newer ones have been burdened with excess capacity due to unchecked development of subdivisions, apartments, and large industrial complexes. This unchecked growth has placed more demand on the system that it was engineered to handle.

Lift Station 40, Little Hurricane Creek

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many times, rain gets blamed for overflows. "Jun 27, 2017 at 10:47 PM

Several days of heavy rain caused by Tropical Storm Cindy overloaded the city of Tuscaloosa’s sanitary sewer systems, causing almost 800,000 gallons of wastewater to overflow from 11 different sites."(Tuscaloosa News)

If the system is working properly there should be no rainwater in the sewer lines. Tuscaloosa has a "Closed sewer system". Separate sanitary sewer systems are designed to transport sewage alone. In municipalities served by sanitary sewers, separate storm drains may convey surface runoff directly to streams Sanitary sewers are distinguished from combined sewers, which combine sewage with stormwater runoff in one pipe. Sanitary sewer systems are beneficial because they avoid sewer overflows. If they are properly maintained and repaired.

Lift Station @ Mercedes overflows in rain event 2019

 

 

Bottom line is this. If there is rainwater getting in the sewer lines in the amount it takes to overflow say 800,000 gallons, the system is malfunctioning. Cracked lines, disconnected lines left uncapped, missing manhole covers are a few. 

 

 

 

Sometimes we have overflows with no rain as well. When a pumping station fails it combines sewage from sources like the V.A. Hospital, many apartment complexes, stores and  residents living nearby. All of that combined sewage flows out and into our creeks. For instance:

Lift Station 62, Stone Creek

At around 1:A.M. the lift station #62 behind the Summerfield community failed. There was an unknown amount of raw sewage got in the tributary known as Stone Creek where it empties into Hurricane Creek less than 1,200 feet from the overflow site. Although this site has the most up to date warning system, the amount could not be tallied?
Trucks leaving the lift station were simply going over the hill a couple of blocks away and dumping it into an open manhole leading to another lift station. Unfortunately the trucks were filled to capacity and sloshing sewer water into the street passing dozens of houses without no sewer overflow signs seen anywhere. The water could be seen at every stop sign where they turned and pouring off of a truck which had just raised the bed and dumped it's contents. There was no clean water being used, everything coming from the trucks I had to assume was sewage.

 

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Walkers and joggers had no idea the water they saw was sewage.

Right across the street at a storm drain which leads to Hurricane Creek toilet paper and other sewer related items could be seen but no signage warning the community. People walk their dogs in the morning and could very well come in contact with raw sewage. 

Another 20 yards down the hill is a public walking trail. No warning signage. 

 This truck saw the news team following him to where he had been dumping. For some reason he tried to evade the car, driving all throughout the community spilling sewage at every turn. All together the sewage trail was seen for over 3,000 feet in the streets and no signs anywhere.

 

These things happen with little notice or warning to the community. When overflows occur I get an email from the city informing me of any overflow in the city. I then determine if it is in Hurricane Creek watershed and inspect as needed. In the past we have been stuck with relying on the city for information. They will sometimes post signs at the site of the overflow but seldom to they test the waters leading to the creek. We are forced to wait on the city for notices of incidents but there are no notices sent out when the water conditions improve to safe levels.  

 

Starting last week That changed for Hurricane Creek,

 at least. 

Thanks to an anonymous donation we now have the capacity to test any overflow and after it occurs to confirm when it's safe to return to recreating in this Crown Jewel of Tuscaloosa, Hurricane Creek.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I was trained by Mr. Mike Mullen, Alabama Water Watch, to take samples, put them in petri dishes and incubate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We now have a state of the art incubator which can produce 18 dishes at a time. That is enough to test 4 popular sites in the creek for possible contamination. I chose the confluence of Cottondale Creek and Hurricane Creek just above Hwy 216, the PARA park at Hwy 216, Watson's Bend on Holt Peterson Rd and about 1/2 mile inside the mouth of the creek where it enters Black Warrior River. It is my wish to expand the capacity to 6 sites later but for now, this will cover the most frequently used section of the creek.

 

 

I have sampled for 2 weeks now and can say without hesitation that the water is well within safe parameters for contact. 

 

We will be sampling all overflows in the watershed year round but coming in Spring we have a new surprise. Swim Guide! 

 

Several years ago Waterkeeper Alliance started Swim Guide for almost every swimmable river in the country but until now, FoHC could not participate due to lack of funding but thanks to our donor we can not put our logo on Swim Guide and have the app ready to roll out by Spring.

Knowledge is power. This new tool empower us to advise and inform our members and Hurricane Creek visitors when the water is within safe parameters for contact, and when contaminated we will know the extent and when it is at or below acceptable levels again.